Cottage Garden Teas

I decided to use my gong-fu inspired tea set to make a cup of tea, and it turned out very well. I don’t have a red clay pot that might work a little better (mine is enameled ceramic), but I find it easier to avoid adding too much tea or water and making it too strong.

Made it this time in a Chinese-inspired tea set with a small pot and cups. I steeped it for about a minute, but another 30 seconds probably wouldn’t hurt. When brewed lighter it’s much easier to drink but a little less flavorful. The set I used made the process a lot more enjoyable, however.

This time I used a smaller cup as I didn’t want as much tea as I have with my usual mug, and sort of messed it up. I didn’t change the proportions of water to tea enough or how long I should steep the tea so it turned out rather bitter. However, I did notice some different flavors as a result that would normally not be so pronounced so that’s nice.

This time around I tried reducing the amount of water to about 6 oz, and steeped it for four minutes. The tea came out quite dark, which revealed some different flavor notes and a little more bitterness than usual, but not by much. It didn’t really make it richer, but it did enhance the earthiness.

I didn’t do much to it this time; I just added sugar with no half and half. It allowed me to taste the smokiness and richness better without masking it with the slight fattiness of milk. I tried brewing it with less water and steeping for longer, as I prefer my tea to be a bit stronger, and it came out a little more to my taste.

I let the tea steep for about four minutes to see how it would taste a bit stronger. It didn’t seem to change a lot but it was a little richer. The bag suggests steeping for two minutes, but I’d go for at least three.

Tried the tea again, but with half-and-half with sugar this time. Still a very mild tea with little to no bitterness, but a currant flavor seems to come out a little more when you add dairy. Steeped it a little longer since I like my tea a little stronger so it might be overpowered by the cream and sugar if it isn’t steeped long enough.

A rich, not bitter tea. Somewhat smoky flavor that isn’t present when the tea is very hot. Not a very delicate flavor but it does go well with lightly flavored cookies.

I brought my water to a boil and waited about one minute before pouring it over my loose leaf tea (to avoid scorching). I let it steep for about 3 or so minutes before adding it to a mug. I did add some Truvia and a dash of milk to it because I love milk or cream with spice teas. I know it’s not the traditional way of drinking it most likely, but it makes for an enjoyable early fall spice creamy tea.
The smell is fairly powerful and being able to see the individual parts of the tea you can see all the different spices that were put into it. Definitely going to be a fall staple for me along with some of my other loose leaf chai teas.

Definitely one of my favorite green teas. This green tea is refreshing (as long as you don’t steep it too long and make it bitter). The sakura cherry blossom petals in it give it a floral aroma before sipping that help leave a smooth and airy taste to accompany the traditional green tea flavor. Definitely would buy this tea again when it runs out.